Flotation exercisers are known, for example, such as that shown in the patent to Perrin U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,204. The Perrin exerciser has no auxiliary support that is, sling or harnesses, for the patient and should he be weak and severely atrophied from a long period of bed confinement, the Perrin exerciser could be dangerous. The patent to Kalv.ang.g U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,329 is a flotation device including a pyramidal upstanding frame between floats. In this case a patent with a lumbar back ailment is simply suspended in a vest from the frame with the expectation that his weight plus a weighted belt will stretch the patient's back and alleviate his ailment. The patient can propel himself and the unit by paddling and swiveling about a vertical axis but that is all the patient can do.
There are also swimming aids where a healthy but inexperienced swimmer is belted by a flexible connector such as chain or rope to an overhead floating framework. Such arrangements are shown in the patent to Brown U.S. Pat. No. 1,752,630 and Biancucci U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,550. These units are solely for use by swimmers and would be unsuitable for extremely weak patients who need to exercise arms and legs, initially too weak for swimming. A common lack of all known prior art is the absence of a rigid horizontal exercise bar easily grasped by a user for moving his body either up or down or to and fro for exercising his arms.